Coyotes welcome Ducks to the desert

Hockey Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Coyotes hope their victory prior to the All- Star break can get them headed in the right direction, while the Anaheim Ducks will try to avoid falling back into a rut that plagued a good portion of their first half.

Phoenix looks to record consecutive wins for the first time in over a month against a visiting Anaheim club that had a nine-game point streak snapped right before the break.

The Coyotes enter this meeting in a tie for 10th in the West with 52 points, three back of a playoff spot. They have won just two of their last eight games and have struggled to win the close ones as of late. In Phoenix's six most recent setbacks, two were one-goal losses in regulation and three others came in a shootout.

However, the 'Yotes did pick up a tight 3-2 win over Ottawa a week ago, one that goaltender Mike Smith hopes will create some momentum. Phoenix hasn't won two straight since Dec. 20-21.

"This was a huge two points for our team," said Smith after making 32 saves. "We've been playing good hockey lately but just weren't able to get that win, so we needed to have this game. We feel pretty good right now."

One Phoenix skater who certainly feels good is defenseman Keith Yandle, who skated for Team Alfredsson in Sunday's 12-9 loss to Team Chara in the All-Star Game. That stats weren't pretty for Yandle -- one assist and a minus-5 rating -- but he enjoyed the trip to Ottawa nonetheless.

"Nobody likes losing, but it was a good weekend and it was a good show," Yandle said on Phoenix's website. "You just hope the fans got what they paid for."

The Coyotes played their final three games before the break at home and begin another three-game stay tonight. They haven't played on the road since Jan. 18 and won't do so again until Feb. 7.

The Ducks, meanwhile, played their last game before the All-Star hiatus on the road and remain the guest tonight. They had won a season-high five straight and had points in nine in a row (8-0-1) before suffering a 1-0 loss in Dallas. Anaheim had outscored its opponents 20-7 over the five-game win streak.

With its recent run of points, the Ducks have climbed to within nine points of Phoenix, Calgary and Dallas in the Western standings.

Anaheim, which will play four in a row at home following this game, is 3-1-2 in its past six on the road and will welcome back leading goal-scorer Corey Perry after his trip to the All-Star Game. Perry leads the Ducks with 22 goals and had a goal and an assist for Team Chara.

Perry is also second on the club with 39 points, six back of forward Teemu Selanne, while goaltender Jonas Hiller has posted a 5-1-1 mark, 1.29 goals- against average and .954 save percentage in his past seven games. He stopped 16-of-17 shots in the loss to the Stars.

The Coyotes had won their first two encounters with the Ducks this season to stretch their series win streak to four in a row, but the Ducks have won the past two meetings -- both in Anaheim -- by a 10-3 margin. That includes a 6-2 win on Jan. 18 in the most recent battle, with defenseman Francois Beauchemin leading a balanced Anaheim attack with two goals and an assist.

Phoenix has won six of its past eight at home versus Anaheim.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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